Visit RealtorMaine<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Maine is a big state, and a Down East Magazine guide for newcomers<\/a> makes the point that Aroostook County is different from York County, and the coast is different from the mountains. Pick a region or two that fit your life before you start touring houses. Central Maine sits in the middle: a few hours from the coast, close to lakes and hills, and anchored by small cities rather than one big one.<\/p>\n Most people who move here do it for the lifestyle: nature, community and room to breathe. The same guide notes that distances here are measured in time rather than miles, and that moose on roads are a real consideration for drivers.<\/p>\n The numbers help set expectations. According to NOAA climate data<\/a>, the Southern Interior division averages 60 to 90 inches of snow per winter, an average annual temperature of 43\u00b0F, and about 20 days a year below 0\u00b0F. Frost can occur eight to 10 months of the year in most of the state, and the Southern Interior growing season runs 120 to 180 days.<\/p>\n Summers are pleasant. The Maine Tourism Association<\/a> notes that summer nights are usually comfortably cool, though a very warm summer can bring as many as 25 days near 90\u00b0F in the Southern Interior.<\/p>\n The seasons are also shifting. The Maine Climate Plan<\/a> reports that Central Maine winters are shorter and summers longer by about two weeks compared with a century ago, and that the statewide growing season has grown by 16 days on average since 1950.<\/p>\n Day to day, that means:<\/p>\n These seasonal tips come from a newcomer\u2019s guide to Maine\u2019s seasons<\/a>, which also suggests preparing winter equipment and generators in advance.<\/p>\n A Maine living guide<\/a> describes a slower pace, a job market concentrated in a few hubs (Portland, Bangor, Lewiston-Auburn and Augusta), and a car as a necessity almost everywhere outside the Portland area. It also notes that many homes heat with oil, so winter heating costs are worth budgeting for. Maine suits people who want nature and community and are ready for winter and driving. It is a different fit if you need dense transit or a big-city social scene.<\/p>\nTL;DR<\/h2>\n
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Table of Contents<\/h2>\n
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What Central Maine is like to live in<\/h2>\n
Seasons and weather<\/h3>\n
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Lifestyle trade-offs worth planning for<\/h3>\n
Comparing Central Maine towns<\/h2>\n
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